Blackest Midnight 

It’s nice to have the whole creative thing going again. Especially as I’m not rushed. I am not thinking that I have to be quick to keep costs down.

I’m making things because I like them.

The above piece is once again made using beads from Quaint Secrests in Singapore. The silver beads are stunning and unfortunately I only have one left!

I have listed it in my Etsy shop as I’m not sure what to do with it!

Technorati Tags: singapore, beads, necklace, black, silver

To make something with the stunnng beads I found at Quaint Secrets in Kampong Glam, Singapore.

I’m dedicating the next couple of months to making things for me (shock horror) and for friends when their birthdays arise (make sure I know when yours is!)

Technorati Tags: kampong, glam, singapore, beads, unique

Inspired by Miles’ post on our recent trip to Singapore, I thought I too would write a few things about the trip.

1. Nothing opens until 10am. Shops in centres open at 11am.
2. Everything is open until LATE. Fantastic! We fit so much into our day as we were on the road, or rail as it was, early.
3. I was buying beads from a great shop in Holland Village until late in the evening.
4. Little India was a super location to stay in. The MRT was close, taxis were cheap, and we had free entertainment at 5am and 5pm every day from the guy on the speaker phone at the Mosque across the road.
5. Buy a cheap Sari in Little India and expect to get shown the really nice ones inside. Stunning to look at most were at least $300+. I enjoyed looking at them and thanking the staff for showing me. I think they may have wanted me to buy one.
6. I’m looking forward to using my $10 Sari as a bedspread. (They are all 5 metres in length)
7. Walk inside their five foot ways (footpaths) to get the benefit of their shops airconditioning. Get used to them persistently inviting you into their shop (both Little India and the Arab Quarter).
8. The Bugis Markets are great for $3 watches and…$3 watches. You can get tiny clothes and loads of ticky tacky tourist junk in 3 for $10 shops. I kept coming back!
9. Bugis Junction is the shopping centre across the road. Full of great chain shops with excellent air-conditioning.
10. Also where I found MUJI. I could have spent ALL my money here.
11. No one does anything on the MRT except sit. Really. No shouting. No laughing. No farting. Very polite and weirdly quiet.
12. If you have to change the MRT line twice to get somewhere, catch a cab. Honest. The best $4-10 you’ll ever spend.
13. If you stay in Little India, ask for the soft pillows straight away. It helps with the stone like bed.
14. Clarke Quay is stunning at night and a total tourist area. Prepare for expensive meals and beverages but still worth a look.
15. A friend took us for desert in an Italian restaurant in Boat Quay (yes, 5 min walk down the road from Clarke). Stunning food!
16. The Bumboat rides from here are great value. Both late evening (open till 10pm) and early morning were good times to go (open 9am). We went early and had a boat all to ourselves.
17. Haji Lane in the Arab Quarter is full of Japanese shops. Second hand clothes and stuff and a stunning bead shop (Quaint Secrets) where I dragged Miles back to TWICE and spent HOURS there. That’s love.
18. A three course Arabic lunch at Samar in the Arab Quarter cost $12, was really yummy, great furniture to sit in with plenty of incense to add to the atmosphere.
19. There is Lemon Iced Tea everywhere. Most of it is Liptons. Other places had a brand I can’t recall (just as good) and I also managed to get the real homemade stuff with a jar of liquid sugar to sweeten it yourself. I am now an addict.
20. Forgot to organise roam for your mobile? Just wander into any phone shop with your passport and buy a $12+ International sim card. You can also get one where all incoming calls are FREE.
21. Want to wander into a Hindu temple? No probs, just take off your shoes. A Muslim Mosque? Wear one of their robes they offer for women. Buddhist Temple? Sure, just wander in, take your shoes off when there’s a sign and don’t turn your back on Buddha.

When we talk while we are crying, upset, or yelling, other people can understand us. Our mouths make the necessry adjustments so that we are intelligile.

Children and adults with Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia cannot do this.

A Dyspraxic child who is crying and trying to tell you what is wrong will not always be able to communicate effectively. In turn, this can make them more upset and even more unitelligile.

Imagine being upset and not having anyone understand why.

How can you help? We have found that by recognising the warning signs of our son getting upset, we can pull him aside, ask him to take three deep breathes and tell us again what was wrong.

If we didn’t get to him in time and he is already super upset and crying, we take him aside and help him calm down (cuddles, rubbing of back offering a tissue or water). Only when he has calmed down do we then encourage speech.

What about at school when you’re not there? Hopefully you have an understanding and well educated teacher, who will listen to you. Also, teaching the child to take three deep breathes on their own is valuable.

*I am not a professional on DVD. I am purely a mum who has learnt by trial and error. Please take all advice accordingly*

Technorati Tags: dyspraxia, verbal, speech, child, upset, social